What summer desserts can I make that don’t require turning on the oven?
Beth, London
There are a few ways to approach this, Beth. First, says Nicola Lamb, the pastry chef behind the Kitchen Projects newsletter, you’ve got “the lazy assembly job”. That might involve “getting ice-cream and cookies from the local shop to make ice-cream sandwiches”, or, Verena Lochmuller adds, crowning a scoop with croissant crumbs and macerated strawberries – ever the maverick, the Ottolenghi development chef blitzes stale croissants in a food processor, then adds melted butter, sugar and a pinch of salt. “Turn that into breadcrumbs in a frying pan and, once cool, it goes super-crisp. It would also be lovely layered into ice-cream with jam.”
Other shop-bought items that are crying out to be accessorised are a chilled bowl of custard (“swirl in some macerated fruit, then crunch over amaretti,” Lochmuller says), or a good-quality pound or lemon drizzle cake: “Fancy that up with a dollop of yoghurt or creme fraiche [or even a mixture of both], some berries or ripe figs and maybe some toasted almonds,” she adds. “It will look impressive, but it’s really simple.”
There is also good stuff to be had if you want to make something from scratch: “Granita is the very definition of a no-cook dessert,” Lamb says, and you can take it in any direction you fancy, from almond milk to coffee. That said, Natasha Pickowicz, author of More Than Cake, says they are “the perfect way to capture peak summer fruit.” For a “crystal-clear, thinner granita” Pickowicz uses strained juice (think watermelon), while a “pulpier granita with more body” is achieved with a thicker puree of stone fruit or berries. “Whisk in a bit of simple syrup [even better if it’s infused with a fresh, summery soft herb such as basil or mint] and lemon juice, then freeze in a shallow tray and fluff up the ice with the back of a fork after it sets.” To serve, Pickowicz pours over sparkling wine and adds fresh fruit and herbs (“it feels fancier than Popsicles”), while Lamb opts for a dollop of cream or sandwiches the granita in a brioche bun.
“Half-frozen slab desserts, such as semifreddo or parfait, are also easy to make,” Pickowicz adds. “Make a neutral-seeming parfait – for instance with mascarpone or cream cheese – then drizzle with aged vinegar and honey.” Alternatively, Lamb says, there’s “a whole category of set desserts to consider” – we’re talking possets (“passion fruit or grapefruit would be nice”) and panna cottas (“infuse the cream with herbs, fig leaves or vanilla, and top with fresh fruit or do a jelly layer”). After all, there is always joy to be found in jelly, which Pickowicz slices into squares. “It can be made with everything from coconut milk to mango puree to chilled green tea – jelly packs a lot of flavour and comfort into a tiny bite.”
And remember, summer days don’t necessarily call for something fancy: “I love putting one or two types of fruit, for instance cherries or sliced apricots, on finely crushed or pebbled ice piled into a shallow bowl,” says Pickowicz. “It’s minimal effort and always a huge hit.”
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